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Presidential Republic of Kotyak
Kotyak Kotyak, officially the Presidential Republic of Kotyak is a mountainous island in southern Umeria. Located in western Europe/Asia Minor, 80 miles west of Sochi, Russia, in the Black Sea. Etymology Kotyak comes the slow mispronunciation and dis-configuration of the word Nahk of the Nahk Tribe that settled Umeria in 100 AD. History Antiquity There is evidence that the settling of Kotyak occurred in early Bronze Age but the accepted date is 300 BC when the Greek colonized Umeria. Umeria was used as a trading post and some light farming until an outbreak of Smallpox forced the Greeks to abandon Umeria in 100 BC. It was not until 100 AD when a migratory people now known as the Nahk Tribe settled Umeria, and by extension Kotyak. The rough coastline of Umeria lent itself to isolation and mixed with the Umerian's propensity for piracy Umeria saw little contact with the outside world. The Kotyakan people quickly adapted to Christianity when the Roman Empire converted under Constantine thanks to its location to Constantinople and lack of outside contact. Middle Ages Despite the Great Schism of 1054 and the bulk of eastern Europe becoming Orthodox the Kotyakans violently stuck to Catholicism in an attempt to assert independence from the Roman Empire. Going as so far as to throw out the Roman government and declaring autonomy. This autonomy was short lived as soon the Seljuk Turks easily annex the islands. The wanton for independence of the Kotyakans and Umerians in general was kept in check via the appointment of "Island Princes" who ruled Umeria as their own fiefdoms with modest tribute and oaths of loyalty to the Turks. Early Modern Era and the First Republic of Kotyak For the life of the average Kotyakan life change very little for them as the life of fishing and farming was only broken by Sunday Mass along with other religious celebrations. It wasn't until 1853 with the outbreak of Crimean War did Kotyak awake, spurred on by Russian agents and dissatisfied by Ottoman suppression the Kotyakans rebelled and declared the First Republic of Kotyak. This republic was short lived as when the war came to a conclusion the Ottomans smashed the meager Republican forces and massacred all suspected sympathizers. World War I For the bulk of World War I Kotyak remain quiet, however it was occupied by the Russians upon the entrance of Ottoman Empire to the War without incident. Kotyak provided a safe haven for Armenians looking to escape the genocide in their home country. Kotyak is said to have given refuge to some 10,000 Armenians during World War I. Second Republic of Kotyak Upon the exit of Russia from World War I and the eventual collapse of the Ottoman Empire Umeria, and by extension Kotyak, found itself independent for the first time in nearly one-thousand years. It was in trouble though, territorial disputes with the Turks and other Umerian nations, starvation, disease and an influx of refugees brought the Republic to the brink. In May of 1919 Turkey invaded and occupied Kotyak, capitalizing on its fragile state. The Turkish government soon took on a program of purging the Greek and Christian elements from island in an effort to make it more Turkish. Churches and parochial schools were burned, clergy was either deported or shot, and public displaying of Christian religions were banned. The Obragranka Cathedral was only saved thanks to Turkish fear of western intervention on the side of the Kotyakans. The Turkish citizens were brought on to Kotyak and were given Kotyakan farms after the former owners were forced off. Soviet Umeria Umeria was annexed by the Soviet Union on March 4th, 1922 with the Treaty Kars and so Kotyak became part of the Umerian SSR. Under Stalin the Kotyakans saw extreme levels of religious repression. Churches were demolished and atheism was mandatory, secularization was abound. Even the Obragranka Cathedral was secularized when all the religious symbols were removed and murals painted over when it was converted to a local party meeting hall. Deportations of many Kotyakans also occurred in Stalin's efforts to reduce the autonomous feelings of Kotyakans. It was not until Stalin's death that religion began to return to Kotyak and churches began to be rebuilt. In the 1980s with reforms taking place within the Soviet Union Kotyakans began pushing against the Soviet government. They pressured for more autonomy and the removal of both the strategic nuclear weapons and naval base. Ecological issues began to arise as it came to light that mines on Kotyak had began to leak toxic waste water into the islands main water source. Issues only worsened when the island was hit by a 6.5 magnitude earthquake and government was slow to respond and repair. By 1990 reconciliation was looking impossible as the Kotyak formed a its own military under the Christ's Legion. Tensions between the Red Army and the Christ's Legion reached a boiling point on May 26th, 1990 when a memorial service for the First Republic lead to a shootout between the two forces. By June 2nd, full fledged fighting had broken out all over the island and Kotyak declared its independence from the USSR. On June 12th the last vestige of Soviet Security Forces evacuated Kotyak and the Third Kotyakan Republic was formed. Current Day Kotyak was for the first time facing a truly independent future but was again facing internal strife economic depression, damage from the uprising and religious tension posed intimidating issues for the new government. A constitution was soon drawn up creating a strong executive office in the Presidency but religion once again got the best of the Kotyakans. Most Kotyakans saw the Muslim populace as invaders and contrary to Kotyakan values and so the constitution also was made to empower the Christian minority. The National Senate, which elects the President, was made to have seven of the eleven slots slotted for solely Christian candidates. Three were slotted for the Muslim majority and the remaining one was classified for either a Muslim or Christian to hold. This has lead to what the UN has called a religious apartheid government. Muslims demonstrations of prayer are banned, as are symbols of Islamic culture or religion and mosque construction and administration has been purposefully covered in red tape. This has led to a beginning of religious extremism in Kotyak as the Muslim majority sees the government as anti-Muslim. Geography Kotyak is a southern mountainois island in the region of Umeria which is roughly eighty miles west of the Russian city of Sochi. Topography The Presidential Republic of Kotyak covers an area of 589 km2 (227 square miles). The terrain of island is mostly mountainous: *The White Mountains (8,045 ft) *The Idi Range (8,058 ft) *Obrakan 1,777 m (5,830 ft) *The Kylthak 2,148 m (7,047 ft) *Triptith 1,489 m (4,885 ft) Kotyak has one river, the Kyr River, which extends from the western most portion of the Idi Range to the east portion of the island. Climate The climate of Kotyak is temperate, the southern coast of the island is considerably more humid than the rest mostly thanks to the mountains which shield the north of island from Asia Minors warm air. Strategic Value Kotyak has played a role as a port and supply point for the navies of Ottoman Turks and the Soviet Navy. For the 1970s and 1980s the Soviet Strategic Rocket Forces placed short and medium range nuclear missiles on island as a deterrent for Turkish encroachment on Soviet interests. Government and Politics The politics of the Presidential Republic of Kotyak occur in the framework of presidential representative democratic republican framework. According to the constitution of Kotyak the executive powers of the nation are invested in the office of the President and the legislative powers are given to the National Senate. Constitution When the constitution was written upon the declaration of the third republic after the May Uprising of 1990. Despite the majority of Kotyakan residents being Muslim, most of the militia and the entirety of Christ's Legion was complete Christian. This lead to a constitutional convention that was mainly made up of Christian Clergy, Military Officers, and prominent Christian citizens. Of the one-hundred and seventy-two delegates of the convention only thirty four were not Christians and of those only twelve were Muslims. With such a heavy Chrisitan majority the delegates set out on fending off what they saw as a Muslim invasion. Since World War 1 Kotyak had seen a steady increase of Muslim populace and Arab immigrants whilst Kotyakans had faced deportation at the hands of the Soviets and Turks. So the Constitution was written in such a way to guarantee that Kotyak was ruled as a Christian nation and that the Muslim population was kept in check. Elections Every two years the entirety of the National Senate is elected in a first past the post system. The National Senate votes on the election of the President every six years or when the office is vacant. The Presidency The President of Kotyak holds the bulk of government power in the nation. The President is the primary diplomat, the Commander in Chief of the armed forces and the highest law enforcement officer. The President also hold some legislative powers similar to the United States' own President. The Kotyakan President has the ability to introduce legislation and has a veto that can only be overridden by a 3/4th majority or by seven votes in the National Senate. This veto has never been over ridden and is a reflection of Constitutional Delegates goal of making the republic authoritarian in nature. National Senate The National Senate is made up of eleven Senators elected in at-large popular elections. The National Senate holds the legislative powers of the Presidential Republic, including the power of the purse and the power to declare war, though the President must first ask the National Senate to do so. The National Senate's eleven seats are slotted so that the two main religious groups on the island are represented. Seven of the eleven Senate seats are slotted exclusively for Christian candidates, three are more exclusively Muslims candidates and the last seat is slotted for either of Muslim or Christian. The unslotted seat is normally won by a Christian thanks to the disenfranchisement of Muslim voters by the government through various means. There are currently four active parties in the Senate: *Christ's Legion Party - 7 Seats *Righteous Justice Party - 1 Seats *Muslim Brotherhood - 1 Seat *Islamic Homeland Party - 2 Seats Foreign Relations Kotyak maintains strong diplomatic relations with the Russian Federation, Ukraine, Geogria, Armenia, Bulgaria and Serbia. Currently there are no diplomatic relations between both Turkey and Azerbaijan as relations between the nations have been strained since Kotyak's independence. Though Turkey recognized Kotyak a mere month after its declaration their refusal to admit to its historical actions and Turkey's accusal of a Kotyakan relgious apartheid government has strained relations. Russia and Kotyak are currently in the midst of negoiating a defense treaty which allows for Russian fleet basing rights in return for weapons and internal security technology from Russia. Human Rights Kotyak has recieved numerous condemnations by Germany, Austria, the United Kingdom, Netherlands, Belgium, Turkey and Azerbaijan but nothing formal thanks to Russian efforts in the United Nations. Religious divisions created by the constitution the majority Muslim population political freedom is low. The minority Christian dominanted government has also been accused of police brutality as the government has little tolerance for discontent on the part of the Muslim populace. Police often turn a blind eye to the Christian militant organizations assualting and even murdering political activists. In the early days of the Presidential Republic the Kotyakan Army was accused of government sanctioned murder as it fired upon Muslims protesting the new constitution in what has been known as the Brotherhood Massacre.